Over the past few years, the federal government has nurtured the growth of an odd kind of player in the energy markets: companies that recruit consumers to unplug themselves when electricity use is high, in exchange for a price break.

The companies have been embraced by electric companies and system operators who say they have helped make service more reliable, and even helped avoid rolling blackouts during heat waves.

The approach has also lowered costs for all customers, experts and executives say, as utilities have needed to buy less of the most expensive power to meet peak needs.

“This market had been doing really well and functioning efficiently for quite some time,” said Craig C. Goodman, president of the National Energy Marketers Association, whose members sell electricity to consumers, speaking of the demand-response arrangement.

But that could soon change. Two important cases have challenged the approach, and one of them has won a significant ruling.

We believe that by working with an unbiased energy consultant, companies can better navigate though volatile markets, price swings, and overall uncertainty.

We recognize several trends in the energy industry. Deregulation in both electricity and gas markets continues to spread state by state as consumers and governments recognize the benefits of competive energy markets. We believe that this will continue as regulators are able to tailor market designs to best meet the needs and requirements of its participants. Additionally, the shift towards renewable energy projects continues to be bolstered by private investments, mostly in states with relaxed electricity structures. This indirectly benefits our industry by shifting the reliability of energy supply to domestic resources. Finally, the higher cost of energy over the past couple decades has required new ideas to be formulated in order to help contain prices.